The invention relates generally to enhanced communication systems and, more particularly, to a network server platform (NSP) for providing services to telecommunications and cable service subscribers in a Hybrid Coaxial/Twisted Pair (HCTP) local loop network service architecture.
As deregulation of the telephone industry continues and as companies prepare to enter the local telephone access market, there is a need to offer new and innovative, high bandwidth services that distinguish common carriers from their competitors. This cannot be accomplished without introducing new local access network architectures that will be able to support these new and innovative services.
Conventionally, customer premises telephone and/or data connections contain splitters for separating analog voice calls from other data services such as Ethernet transported over digital subscriber line (DSL) modems. Voice band data and voice signals are sent through a communications switch in a central or local office to an interexchange carrier or Internet service provider. DSL data is sent through a digital subscriber loop asynchronous mode (DSLAM) switch which may include a router. The DSLAM switch connects many lines and routes the digital data to a telephone company""s digital switch.
A major problem with this configuration is that interexchange carriers attempting to penetrate the local telephone company""s territory must lease trunk lines from the local telephone company switch to the interexchange carrier company""s network for digital traffic. Furthermore, the Internet service provider must lease a modem from the local phone company in the DSLAM switch and route its data through the local phone company""s digital switch. Using the leased trunk the interexchange carrier may bypass the local telephone company. However, the local phone company leases and/or provides a significant amount of equipment, driving up the cost of entry for any other company trying to provide local telephone services and making it difficult for the interexchange companies to differentiate their services. Furthermore, since DSL modem technology is not standardized, in order to ensure compatibility, the type of DSL modem provided by the local telephone company must also be provided to the end user in the customer premises equipment (CPE). Additionally, since the network is not controlled by the interexchange companies, it is difficult for the interexchange companies to provide data at committed delivery rates. Any performance improvements implemented by the interexchange companies may not be realized by their customers, because the capabilities of the local telephone company equipment may or may not meet their performance needs and/or desired quality levels. Thus, it is difficult for the interexchange companies to convince potential customers to switch to their equipment or to use their services. These factors ensure the continued market presence of the local telephone company.
Another opportunity to bypass the local telephone company is for the interexchange carrier to employ wireless means of reaching the local telecommunications service subscriber. In co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/001,363, filed Dec. 31, 1997, entitled xe2x80x9cISD Wireless Networkxe2x80x9d, it was suggested to provide a wireless integrated service director for communicating with wireless subscriber apparatus. Also, from other U.S. Patent Applications, for example, in xe2x80x9cCircuit-Switched Switching Systemxe2x80x9d U.S. Pat. No. 5,978,370, issued Nov. 2, 1999, it is known to provide satellite or other wireless connections directly to the local subscriber, thus bypassing the local network and the local telephone company.
Yet another opportunity for bypassing the local telephone company is the provision of telecommunications services over known coaxial cable or hybrid optical fiber coaxial cable television transmission systems utilizing cable television spectrum in the downstream (toward the subscriber) and upstream (toward the cable television headend) paths for such services. For example, Times Wagner has been experimenting with the provision of telecommunications services to and among cable television service subscribers in various geographic regions of the country with marginal success.
As part of this system, there is a need for improved architectures, services and equipment utilized to distinguish the interexchange companies"" products and services. Current local access network topologies suffer from major drawbacks which limit their applications and their ability to expand with changing technology. Interexchange companies are restricted by the current infrastructure and are limited in the number and variety of new and enhanced services that can be offered to end users. In the expansion of new services, end users desire a seamless connection to the numerous disparate networks in order to access the multiplicity if services that these networks have to offer. A part of this process is the opportunity to provide integrated cable television, telecommunication and wireless services by a single service provider, preferably the interexchange. (IXC) company.
In order to provide an improved network, it is desirable for the interexchange companies to have access to at least one of the twisted-pair lines, coaxial cable, hybrid fiber facilities with either twisted pair or coaxial cable or alternate wireless facility connecting each of the individual users to the local cable television or toll telephone or hybrid network before the lines are routed through the conventional local telephone network equipment. It is preferable to have access to these lines prior to any modem or switching technology offered by the local telephone service providers. By having access to the twisted-pair wires or coaxial cable or hybrid facilities entering or leading to the customer""s premises, interexchange companies can differentiate their services by providing higher bandwidth, improving the capabilities of the customer premises equipment, and lowering overall system costs to the customer by providing competitive service alternatives.
A new architecture for providing such services may utilize a video phone and/or other devices to provide new services to an end user; a residence gateway which may be an integrated residence gateway (IRG) disposed near the customer""s premises for multiplexing and coordinating many digital services onto a single twisted-pair line or coaxial cable (or both); a cable facilities management platform (C-FMP) disposed remote from or in the local telephone network""s central office, the subscriber loop or the coaxial cable distribution plant for routing data to an appropriate interexchange company network; and a network server platform (NSP) coupled to the C-FMP for providing new and innovative services to the customer and for distinguishing services provided by the interexchange companies from those services provided by the local telephone network.
In particular, the network server platform is a system management server for controlling subscriber access to a plurality of local access networks which may comprise wireless, twisted pair, coaxial cable or hybrid fiber twisted pair or coaxial cable signal distribution and collection systems. The network server platform performs several functions including but not limited to authorizing subscriber network access, routing communications to and from the subscriber, subscriber database management and operations, administration, maintenance and provisioning (OAMandP) support.
As part of this system, one aspect of the invention provides a network server platform forming part of a new local loop network architecture designed to overcome the limitations of current art local access loop technologies. This invention allows end users to seamlessly connect to the numerous disparate networks in order to access the multiplicity of services that these networks have to offer. The network server platform allows interconnection between networks with varying networking protocols.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the interexchange carrier may obtain access to the coaxial cable feeding subscribers to existing cable television services, for example, at a subscriber tap or after a fiber/coaxial cable hub or node in a hybrid fiber coaxial cable television distribution plant. The interexchange carrier may ultimately provide services via the optical fiber leaving the cable television headend. The interexchange companies may also obtain access to a single twisted pair of a twisted pair cable for providing telecommunication services. The cable television set top terminal may comprise a telecommunications apparatus or a separate cable modem connected intelligent terminal may provide such services as plain old telephone services, high speed Internet services, video conference services, directory services, cable television services, multimedia services or other digital services depending on subscriber requirements and capabilities.
The network server platform is a key component of the new architecture and interacts to allow for easy and seamless integration with network components on both the local access level as well as the core network. The network server platform offers external networking capabilities to the local access network. As a result, the local access network preferably is coupled in real time with the network server platform. The network server platform provides subscribers or end users the capabilities to access services from a multiplicity of disparate networks offering a variety of services. Accordingly, the new architectural concept may permit the NSP to serve both the cable television coaxial cable and a telephone twisted pair network such that interexchange carriers become the service provider for different information services to, for example, cable subscribers and telecommunication subscribers. The NSP provides as intelligent database of information about a subscriber referred to herein as a subscriber profile and collects subscriber usage and preference data useful in automatically determining a subscriber""s equipment, service and information needs and meeting those needs. The telephone companies or interexchange carriers may control the network services that are provided and would essentially become a service provider by providing different information content services equally between the cable company and the xDSL/cable modem pools. Thus, the telephone company or interexchange carriers may be the single service provider of content.
These and other features of the present invention may be understood from the following detailed description of the system architecture and a method of meeting subscriber needs.